StopBadware researches trends in harmful software and its distribution, and develops collaborative, community-minded approaches to stopping malicious software. more >
With the Oxford Internet Institute as a partner and the support of leading tech companies, including Google, Sun, and Lenovo, the Center launched StopBadware.org in January 2006.
Designed as a “neighborhood watch†campaign oriented toward finding collaborative, community-minded solutions to combat destructive applications and programs, StopBadware.org focuses on organizing its community’s technical expertise and the public’s user-knowledge to identify and research ‘badware’ and to raise public awareness. Since its launch, StopBadware.org has received broad community endorsement for its ‘good software’ guidelines and has worked with the public to identify hundreds of destructive applications. StopBadware.org has also issued nearly a dozen reports documenting destructive applications, and distributed them to thousands of people. After being highlighted in StopBadware’s reports, a number of companies worked with StopBadware.org to bring their software into compliance with StopBadware’s ‘good software’ policies, including Zwinky, Freeze.com, and Starware.
Upcoming StopBadware webinar for nonprofits
Call for public comment on StopBadware.org's "Badware Guidelines"
Badware panel at IT Security World
Apple keeps mum
Over on the StopBadware.org blog, Max Weinstein writes, "The other day, Rob Pegoraro at the Washington Post wrote a column about Apple’s tendency to keep its mouth shut rather than communicating with customers...Here at StopBadware.org, we’ve found Apple to be equally uncommunicative..."
11 aug 2008
Berkman Buzz: Week of July 21, 2008
The FCC proposes a filtered version of the internet, one Berkman intern learns a tough lesson about illegal downloads, Nicaragua's President Ortega faces online opposition, and more...in this week's BUZZ!
25 jul 2008
New design for the StopBadware.org site!
China Hosts Majority of Badware Sites
StopBadware.org today released a report analyzing over 200,000 sites reported by Google as exhibiting badware behavior. Over half of the reported infected sites are hosted in China.
24 jun 2008
Good things in StopBadware's world
badware alert averted + positive sign from a hosting service
This week, two heartening tales of the good fight against badware graced the StopBadware.org blog: in dialogue with the SBW team, two companies made corrections to protect consumers...
9 may 2008
StopBadware.org: PerformanceOptimizer alert
Thinking about installing the trial version of SellMoSoft's PerformanceOptimizer? Not a good idea! StopBadware has the skinny on this badware gem, deceptive through and through...
2 may 2008
Apple Responds to Community Concerns
StopBadware explains the situation
From the StopBadware blog... A few weeks ago, the blogosphere raised concerns about the Windows version of Apple Software Update for offering new software installations (e.g., Safari) disguised as product updates. At the time, we blogged about it and said we were looking into it. It turns out that we were prepared to release an alert today identifying the product as badware. I’m glad to report, however, that we don’t have to, as Apple yesterday released an updated version that addresses the concerns that bloggers and StopBadware.org raised with them.
17 apr 2008
